Beaver Pond, Snowfall

“Beaver Pond, Snowfall” is an image that exemplifies both the beauty that pulls me to mountain adventures, as well as the dramatic natural experience that I remember so vividly and moves me to carry big cameras and expose big sheets of film in insane conditions. On this particular day the snow was falling heavily. In the time it took me to set up my camera and expose my sheet of film (20-30 minutes), at least 4 inches of snow came down. As I looked out of my window just a couple of hours before, I had to laugh. It was a ridiculous idea to venture out, but I had “the mood” of an image in mind.

Needless to say, I layered up with warm under layers and Gore-tex outers, grabbed my camera pack and headed out into the storm. I wasn’t going far, but my anticipation was high. Now, while I had an image type in mind (intimate details close, soft hints of “foggy” background in the distance) I was open to the experience. I wandered through this quiet landscape taking in every detail. With the mountains shrouded in falling snow, the landscape became smaller. I literally felt within the landscape. That feeling is what I was envisioning for my image, and was reveling in as part of my life. That is what I call, the Fine Art of Nature!